Initial check-in of new IPathElement interface

src/helma/framework/IPathElement.java

@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+// IPathElement.java
+// Copyright (c) Hannes Wallnöfer 2001
+ 
+package helma.framework;
+
+
+/**
+ * Interface that objects need to implement to build a Helma URL tree. Apart from methods
+ * to retrieve the identifier and its child and parent elements, this interface defines a method
+ * that determines which prototype to use to add scripts and skins to an object. <p>
+ *
+ * Please note that this interface is still work in progress. You should expect it to get some
+ * additional methods that allow for looping through child elements, for example, or retrieving the
+ * parent element. <p>
+ *
+ */
+ 
+public interface IPathElement {
+
+    /**
+     *  Return the name to be used to get this element from its parent
+     */
+    public String getElementName ();
+
+    /**
+     * Retrieve a child element of this object by name.
+     */
+    public IPathElement getChildElement (String name);
+
+    /**
+     * Return the parent element of this object.
+     */
+    public IPathElement getParentElement ();
+
+
+    /**
+     * Get the name of the prototype to be used for this object. This will
+     * determine which scripts, actions and skins can be called on it
+     * within the Helma scripting and rendering framework.
+     */
+    public String getPrototype ();
+
+}
+
+
+
+